


Dry

by MixerMonochrome



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Wing!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 20:24:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5941902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MixerMonochrome/pseuds/MixerMonochrome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sapphire has never liked getting wet.  The water stagnates in the space between her feathers, cold and clammy and altogether unpleasant.<br/>A late night and an idea from Ruby, however, gives her inclination to change her mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dry

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I've just had the idea of Ruby drying off Sapphire's wings for a while and wanted to flesh it out. I also drew it [here](http://mixer-in-monochrome.tumblr.com/post/138856241883/mixer-in-monochrome-ruby-dries-sapphire-off) if you want to see!

Sapphire avoided water when she could. A light rain shower or a dart through a particularly fluffy looking cloud were fine. But when there was enough water to soak her, to run down and sink into every crease and crevice she had, she steered clear.

It was mostly her wings, she’d admitted to Ruby once. She could wipe water off her skin, dry out her hair to a degree, and change her clothes, but her wings were too large and the feathers too delicate to do much more than air-dry. She loathed the way the water clung and multiplied their weight, sitting there for hours before her wings finally dried enough to feel comfortable folded along her back again. She assumed the aversion would stay with her indefinitely.

When Sapphire descended into the foyer of her house after a long and - unfortunately - necessary flight through a heavy rainstorm, she was admittedly surprised to see Ruby standing in her living room, wearing a look of intense concentration as she fluffed a round pillow Sapphire hadn’t seen in months. A small pile of other pillows, mismatched in colour and size, sat on the floor a few feet away from her.

“Ruby? What are you - “

“Oh! You’re home!” Ruby quickly put down the pillow she held and greeted Sapphire with a hug and a brief kiss on the cheek. Before Sapphire could even return the gesture, Ruby moved and nudged her towards the hallway. “Go dry off whatever you can, then come back out here. I want to try something.”

Sapphire wanted to argue, she was tired and didn’t want to do anything but sleep, but if Ruby had come all the way out here despite the storm still audibly roaring outside, then sleep could wait at least a little while more.

Two minutes later, she leaned somewhat hesitantly against the pile of pillows and stretched her wings out as Ruby requested, her long hair draped over one shoulder to keep it out of the way.

“What are we doing again?” Sapphire asked, craning her neck to try and see Ruby as she settled into place behind her. When all she managed to see was the edge of red wings, however, Sapphire begrudgingly gave up and moved her head to a more comfortable position atop her arms.

“You said you don’t like the water because it stays in your feathers, right?” Ruby asked in return. Sapphire hummed an affirmation and twitched her wings, a gesture for Ruby to continue. She happily obliged, voice swelling with pride, “Well I’m going to dry them off for you.” Then she backtracked, “Or - I’m going to try at least. I haven’t really done this for anyone but myself so… tell me if it hurts or anything and I’ll stop.” There was a pause as the words settled into the room, and then Ruby groaned and buried her face into the patch of feathers along Sapphire’s back. “Wait that sounds bad! There’s almost no chance whatsoever that it’ll actually hurt - please don’t worry about that - it’s just in case -”

Sapphire laughed, and Ruby’s hurried explanation petered out, “Go on Ruby, I trust you.”

Ruby heaved a relieved sigh, tickling the sensitive skin beneath Sapphire’s feathers and making her bite off another short laugh, and leaned back. “Thanks. I’ll see what I can do about your wings so just - relax.”

“Will do.” Sapphire said, sinking further into the pillows to illustrate her point. She noted idly that Ruby must have fluffed all of them, because they were extremely soft and smelled faintly of spice and woods.

She almost didn’t notice when Ruby started, her fingers hovering only just above the surface of Sapphire’s wings, but the warmth that poured from them, growing steadily as Ruby channelled more of her element, was unmistakeable and absolutely perfect. Without thinking, Sapphire flexed her wings into the warm glow, letting out a low hum of satisfaction.

“Sapphy,” Ruby laughed, pulling her hands away much to Sapphire’s displeasure, “You’re going to mess up your feathers if you keep doing that.”

Embarrassment, hot and prickling, flooded across Sapphire’s face. Her wings stilled, “Oh - right. Keep going.”

She could almost hear the wide grin as Ruby replied, “Of course.”

The warmth quickly returned, and Sapphire melted against the pillows with a content sigh. Ruby didn’t speak, intent on her work, and so there was nothing to keep Sapphire’s eyelid from slowly drooping as the seconds ticked past, her vision hazing as her own exhaustion and the warm, lazy patterns Ruby drew across the surface of her wings lulled her towards sleep. Sapphire had one last coherent thought before succumbing to blissful slumber.

If _this_ was what she had to look forward to, then maybe getting wet wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
